Packaging machine for forming and sealing packaging trays

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a packaging machine ( 1 ). According to the invention, the film ( 11 ) is transported from a roll to a forming station ( 2 ), whereupon it is heated and deep drawn by a forming tool ( 9 ) to form a packaging tray. The forming tool can also contain a cutting device enabling the packaging trays ( 10 ) to be cut of the strip of film ( 11 ). The rest of the strip of film ( 11 ) is wound by means of a coil ( 13 ). The packaging trays thus produced are transported by means of the conveyor belt ( 14 ) to the filling station ( 4 ) and filled with packaging items. The filled packaging trays are then closed with a covering film ( 12 ) in an evacuation and sealing station, said covering film being used to seal the packaging trays ( 10 ). A cutting system is integrated into the sealing tool ( 15 ) and is used to cut the finished packaging from out of the covering film ( 12 ). The remaining covering film is wound by means of a coil ( 16 ). The finished packaging is removed by means of an exit strip ( 17 ).

The present invention relates to a packaging machine comprising at leastone forming station for forming packaging trays from a film, one cuttingstation for cutting the film between the packaging trays, one fillingstation for filling the packaging tray with packaging items and onesealing/cutting station for sealing the packaging with a covering filmand cutting the covering film.

Tray sealers in which a prefabricated packaging tray is filled and thensealed with a covering film have been prior art for many years. However,tray sealers have the drawback that it is necessary to keep availablelarge quantities of packaging trays. In addition, it is not possible toreact quickly to specific customer change requests.

Therefore, the object was to provide a packaging machine without thedrawbacks of the prior art.

The object is achieved by a packaging machine comprising at least oneforming station for forming packaging trays from a film, one cuttingstation for cutting the film between the packaging trays, one fillingstation for filling the packaging tray with packaging items and onesealing/cutting station for sealing the packaging with a covering filmand cutting the covering film, whereby the cutting station is integratedin the forming station or arranged downstream of the forming station andupstream of the filling station.

It was extremely surprising to a person skilled in the art to find thatthis device provides a very flexible and simple packaging machine. Thefact that the packaging trays are formed online means they do not haveto be kept available and their shape is easy to change by replacing thetools in the forming station. The packaging machine according to theinvention is simple and inexpensive to produce.

In a preferred embodiment, the packaging machine according to theinvention comprises first and second parallel lines on which the same ordifferent types of packaging may be produced. This embodiment has inparticular the advantage that it is very flexible. Depending upon thedegree of utilisation, numerous packages of one type or different typesof packaging may be produced on the line in question. It is evenpossible to use different packaging materials on the individualpackaging lines depending upon the application in question. When a toolis changed on one line, the other line continues to run so that thepackaging machine according to the invention never comes to a completestandstill.

Preferably, a line has a device for placing prefabricated packagingtrays in the area of the filling station. In this case, this line isoperated purely as a tray sealer and the forming station is not used.This embodiment significantly increases the flexibility of the packagingmachines because a line may be operated both as a so-called thermoformerin which the packaging trays are produced online and also as a traysealer.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sealing station also hasan evacuation station with which the ambient air is drawn out of thepackaging and preferably replaced by an inert gas.

The invention will now be further described with reference to thediagrams.

FIG. 1 shows a side view of the packaging machine according to theinvention.

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the packaging machine according to theinvention.

FIGS. 3-5 show possible combinations of the packaging machine accordingto the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a side view of the packaging machine 1 according to theinvention. The film 11 is transported from a roll of film to the formingstation 2 where it is heated and deep drawn by the forming tool 9 toform a packaging tray, the so-called tray. In this case, the formingtool also comprises a cutting device, with which the packaging trays 10are cut out of the strip of film 11. The rest of the strip of film 11 iswound by means of the coil 13. The packaging trays produced in this wayare transported by means of the conveyor belt 14 to the filling station4 where they are filled with packaging items. The filled packaging traysare then closed with the covering film 12 in the evacuation and sealingstation with the covering film being used to seal the packaging tray 10.A cutting system is integrated in the sealing tool 15 and is used to cutthe finished packaging out of the covering film 12. The remainingcovering film is wound by means of the coil 16. The finished packagingis removed by means of the exit belt 17. A person skilled in the artwill be aware that the gaseous atmosphere in the filled packaging may beevacuated shortly before the sealing and optionally replaced by an inertgas.

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the packaging machine of FIG. 1. Here, it isevident that the packaging machine comprises two lines 6, 7 on which twodifferent packaging trays 10, 10′ may be produced and then filled withdifferent packaging items in the filling station 4.

FIGS. 3 to 5 show the packaging machine according to the invention indifferent schematic configurations. FIG. 3 shows a configuration inwhich the same packaging tray and hence the same packaging is producedon both lines 6, 7. FIG. 4 shows a configuration in which differenttypes of packaging are produced on lines 6 and 7. FIG. 5 shows aconfiguration in which the forming station in the line 7 is not used.For this, a destacker 8 places prefabricated packaging trays on theconveyor belt 14 where they are filled. The line 6 functions asdescribed above. In particular the embodiment according to FIG. 5demonstrates the high flexibility of the packaging machine according tothe invention. It is possible both to produce different types ofpackaging as a whole on the packaging machine and also only to completeprefabricated packaging trays to form finished packaging.

1. Packaging machine (1) comprising at least one forming station (2) forforming packaging trays (10, 10′) out of a film (11), a cutting station(3) for cutting the film (11) between the packaging trays (10, 10′), afilling station (4) for filling the packaging tray (10, 10′) withpackaging items and a sealing/cutting station (5) for sealing thepackaging with a covering film (12) and cutting the covering film,characterised in that the cutting station (3) with which the packingtrays may be separated is integrated in the forming station (2) orarranged downstream of the forming station (2) and upstream of thefilling station (4).
 2. Packaging machine according to claim 1,characterised in that the packaging machine comprises first and secondlines (6, 7) running in parallel.
 3. Packaging machine according toclaim 2, characterised in that different types of packaging (11, 11′)are produced on the first and second lines (6, 7) respectively. 4.Packaging machine according to claim 1, characterised in that one line(6, 7) includes a device (8) for placing trays (10, 10′) in the area ofthe filling station (4) and that in this line no packaging trays (10,10′) are formed in the forming station (2).
 5. Packaging machineaccording to claim 1, characterised in that the sealing stationcomprises an evacuation station and preferably a system for reaerationwith inert gas.